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AN APPEAL TO THE 



President and Congress of the 
United States 



AN APPKAL TO THE 



President and Congress of the 
United States 



RESOLUTION ON THE PROPOSED EXPOSITION 
COMMEMORATIVE OF THE 

Semi-Centennial of the Negroes' Freedom 
in America 




Passed by the IlIiiiol>< Conjcrciicv <>j flic A. M. A'. Chuirli. 
(if Springflchl. Ill/noix. Sci)tcutl>(r. I'Jld. 



<^^k.>19 



By transfer 
The White House 
March 3rd, 1913 



Izi-s^ 




VvVA. S. \\. JOXES, 



I'axtor St. Luke A. M. E. CJuircJi. Ka^i Si. L(nu.\, Illlnoii^, 

and Leader of the Delegation of the Illinois Conference 

to tJie General Conference at Kansas Citij. May, 

1912, ivho offered the Resolution herein Mon- 

dail, Septenihrr the 10th. 1910. 





Hon. W. a. IvODKMiKRC, 



Congressman of ihe Twenty-second Disfricf of Illiniii.'<. n h' 

introduced the First Resolution touching the proponed 

Exposition, commemorative of the Semi-Centenitial 

of the Negroes' Freedom in America. 



Senate Bill No. 180 offered by Hon. W. O. Bradley of Ken- 
tucky, which was reported favorably to the Senate last 
February, 1912, calling for an appropriation of Ji>250,000 
for the. holding of a Negro Exposition, finally passed the 
Senate Thursday, April 4, 1912. 



HISTORY OF MOVEMENT. 

President Taft in his December message to Congress, 
1909, in accordance with a suggestion of Prof. Booker T. 
Washington and other prominent members of the Negro 
Race, recommended that a prehminary Commission be 
be appointed to consider the advisabihty of holding an 
exposition in the year of 1913 commemorative of the Semi- 
centennial of the Negroes' Freedom in America. 

In accordance with the President's recommendation, 
Congressman W. A. Rodenberg of»the Twenty- second Dis- 
trict of Illinois, chairman of the Committee on Industrial 
Arts and Expositions, immediately introduced a joint resolu- 
tion in Congress, providing for the appointment of such a 
Commission. 

The Resolution was called up for consideration on Sus- 
pension Day and failed of passage because of opposition of 
the Southern members of Congress. This opposition being 
sufficient to overcome the two-thirds majority necessary to 
pass the Resolution. 

But the failure to pass the Resolution did not neces- 
sarily mean the defeat of the Exposition. 

The Negroe:^ of Illinois were alive to the importance of 
such an event. Therefore, the Thirty-ninth Session of the 
Illinois Conference of the A. M. E. Church, which convened 
in Springfield September, 1910, in order to show its appre- 
ciation of the event and its gratitude to Congressman Roden- 
berg, unanimously passed the following Resolution : 

—4— 



RESOLUTION. 

Rev. S. R. Junks, pa.sior St. Luko A. .\1. E. (Jlmivli, 
East yt. Louis, Illinois, and leader of iJie delej^alion of the 
Illinois Conference to the (Jeneral Conference at l\.aii>as 
City, May. 1912, offered the followinsi; re.<oIution, .\li»n- 
day, September the 19th, 1910: 

In the year 1619 a ship supposed to be Duteli, touehed 
at James Town, Virginia, and landed nineteen Ne^m 
slaves. The first that ever set foot on the soil of North 
America. 

The coming of these nineteen negroes wa-^ the begin- 
ning of an evil, that haa left its impress in many form^<, 
up(;n the growth and progress of this nation. 

For Two Hundred and Fifty years the Negro wiis 
subjected to a system of slavery more brutal, in many 
respects, than any sinnlar condition in the history of the 
world. The lash, the shackles, the branding irons, the 
auction ^)l,ocJ^mid bJk»od-hounds were the controlling forces 
for it^/p^tr^pS^awtrrr^These forces were backed by unjust 
laws. Chained, as it were, in this great national prison; 
is it not a wonder that the race wa>^ not reduced to cannibals? 

But instead, after two and a half centuries of involun- 
tary servitude, the Emancipation Proclamation found him 
possessed of mental and moral strength and creative ability, 
that is the marvel of the world. American slavery with all 
it- brutality, did not destroy the endowment* of the soul? 
shrouded in l)lack skin. 

The ])ossibilities and capabilities of the race were there: 
planted by the hand of God; waiting for the opportunity to 
come, when tlie race would be born into the unrestrained 
aid of freedom, and bv proper development triumph over 
evcrv foe and estaljlish itself among the progressive races 
of earth. This the Negro is doing step by step and day 
by day. 

Hi>* achievement'^ since Immortal Lincoln swung wide 
the door of hope, is an illustration of that Ril)lica1 truth. 
"God hath chosen the foolish things of this world to con- 
found the wise, and the weak things of this world to con- 
found the things which are mighty." 



When the Czar of Russia freed his serfs he gave t(» 
each, ten acres o land. But the American Negro innnerged 
into freedom homeless and pennilass. 

Today the greatest miracle since Christ rose from the 
dead, is the splendid achievements of the race, in its steady 
march through discrimination and proscription and injus- 
titce, that have ever been, and are yet prominent in these 
United States. 

In 1901 Rev. J. T. Jennifer, D. D.. published a pam- 
phlet "The Light of Africa," from which I quote a few 
statistics of the progress of the race. Dr. Jennifer says his 
progress is in evidence in $2,250,000,000 as the result of 
Negro thrift and industry. In the ten years previous to jhe 
publishing of his pamphlet he says Negroes produced 50,- 
000,000.000 i)ounds of cotton on 40,000 square miles. The 
annual product of Negro industry in corn, wheat, oats, and 
icotton amounts to $431,320,000. The Negro occupies 
1,500,000 farms and owns 270.000 of them and pays int(» 
the pul)lic treasury State and National taxes on $400,000,- 
000. 5,000,000 attend church or are under some religious 
influence. The race owns $40,000,000 in churchs and con- 
tribute annually $18,000,000 for religious purposes. 

In 1909 the Negro Business League held in New York 
City, Aug. 17, 18, 19, represented^^^One Hundred dif- 
ferent business enterprises, besides^L>oce^^ Lawyers, Phar- 
macists, Architects, and Bank Presidents, of Avhich institu- 
tions the race has nineteen. 

The only absentees from this notable gathering were 
Railw-ay and Trust Presidents. 

The high standard of the race as we see it today in 
Religion, Education, the Professions, the Sciences, in Art, 
the Trades, in iVgriculture and in Business, are undeniable 
proofs, thae it has not betrayed the confidence of great and 
good Abraham Lincoln, or been recreant to the trust 
imposed by the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth 
Amendments nor ignorant (tf the meaning of Citizenshi]). 
If as many })eople believe the race question is Indus- 
trial and Educational, the proposed Exposition in 1913 
Commemorative of the Semi-Centennial of the Negroes' 

—6— 



Fie;(liiiii in Aiiu'ricn. will ini(li.ulit(<llv ,i;n fnr toward srl- 
tliiig il. 

Bec-ause llir; u.uli it hi^ Maiilimd. I ndn-tn-, 'rinilt. 
Intelli.uence, Businc-s Ability and Artistic Skill will find 
convincin.u- and elfcM'tive cxprcs.-ion. Tlio lv\|H.>iiioii will 
have n()^H)litical sinnilicancc wliit('\cr, I.nl Kackt-d \,y ilic 
Federal (iovciiunent the intent and |)nr|»(».<c i<. to destroy 
•as far a.s possible bitter race f'eilinu. and thus make the 
juition stronger and uiand, ,• l,y c-tablishinu the fact within 
tile b(;rders of the-c riiitcd Stiti'^. -''rhe Fatherliood ,,f (i.,,! 
and Brotherhocd of Man." 'rhercforc. 

I. 

Re.'^olved; That we accept the reconnncndations of 
President Taft in his December Messa.ue. 1 !)()!•. '•That a 
prehniinarv conuiiission be apjiointed. to consider the advis- 
a])ility of holdinu, snch an Exjiosition." as an cviden<e oflii- 
profound interest in the welfare of the race. 

IT. 

Resolved; That we reco.unizc in Prof, rxiokci- T. W a.-h- 
iiigton in whose mind the idea was conceived, and njion 
wdiose suggestion with other representatives of tlie race llie 
Pre.sident acted, a true watchman on the wall of race 
advancement, ever alert and ready to dii-ect the race how- 
to outfiauk the enemy. 

III. 

Resolved; That the race ever hold in grateful remem- 
brance Congressman W. A. Rodenberg. Chairman o Com- 
mittee on Indu.strial Aits and Expositions, whose etf(»rts. 
backed with the eloquence of Wendel Thill ips. the courage 
of Lovejoy, thefirnine.<s and determination of Lincoln on 
this and alk^t^^cca>^ions, where the interest of the rac«' 
was concerned, have proven him to be a tried and true 
friend. 



IV. 

Resolved; That the Illinois Conference through the 
organs of the A. M. E. Church, appeal to members of the 
race, t(t address letters to the Congressional Rei)resentatives 
of their respective districts, requesting them to give their 
unfaltering support to the passage of this bill. 

V. 

Resolved ; That this Conference go on record strongly 
in favor of the holding of this Exposition, which will give 
to the race an oj»[)()rtunity to show to the world, what it has 
accomplished in Religion, Education, the Sciences, the Arts, 
the Professions, the Trades, in Business, in fact in all the 
peaceul industries, in less than a half century. 



54 Hf 




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